Truist Financial Issues Pessimistic Forecast for The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) Stock Price

Key Points

• Truist Financial cut its price target on The Ensign Group from $215 to $202 and kept a hold rating, signaling a more cautious outlook even though the new target still implies upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed overall: the stock has a Moderate Buy consensus, with four Buy ratings and two Hold ratings, while several firms have recently adjusted their views in both directions.
• The Ensign Group reported better-than-expected quarterly EPS of $1.85 and 18.4% revenue growth year over year, but the stock was trading down 2.3% amid broader analyst caution and recent insider selling.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) had its target price cut by stock analysts at Truist Financial from $215.00 to $202.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "hold" rating on the stock. Truist Financial's price target points to a potential upside of 22.76% from the stock's previous close.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on ENSG. Weiss Ratings cut The Ensign Group from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Wall Street Zen raised The Ensign Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, June 14th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of The Ensign Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $213.50.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 2.3%

NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $164.55 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company has a fifty day moving average of $166.24 and a 200 day moving average of $184.27. The Ensign Group has a 52 week low of $134.79 and a 52 week high of $218.00.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.79 by $0.06. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.89% and a return on equity of 16.78%. The firm had revenue of $1.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.52 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. The Ensign Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.480-7.620 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that The Ensign Group will post 6.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director John O. Agwunobi sold 392 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.97, for a total transaction of $78,388.24. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 9,295 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,858,721.15. This trade represents a 4.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.28, for a total value of $114,996.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 21,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,507,706.56. This represents a 3.17% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,892 shares of company stock valued at $340,591. 4.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in The Ensign Group by 9.9% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 161,946 shares of the company's stock worth $20,956,000 after purchasing an additional 14,590 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in The Ensign Group by 150.3% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 383 shares of the company's stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 65.9% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 536 shares of the company's stock valued at $83,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 480,216.7% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 57,638 shares of the company's stock worth $8,583,000 after purchasing an additional 57,626 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.1% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,037 shares of the company's stock valued at $314,000 after purchasing an additional 421 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Company Profile

The Ensign Group, Inc is a diversified provider of post-acute healthcare services in the United States, operating a network of skilled nursing, assisted living, independent living, home health and hospice care centers. The company's model emphasizes integrated care by employing multidisciplinary teams—including nursing staff, therapists and physicians—to deliver personalized rehabilitation and long-term care services for seniors and other patients recovering from injury, illness or surgery.

Through its owned and managed centers, The Ensign Group offers a broad spectrum of rehabilitation services such as physical, occupational and speech therapy.

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